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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25600033">The Boys of Summer have Gone</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoMouse/pseuds/JoMouse'>JoMouse</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Very Sterek Summer 2020 [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Teen Wolf (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Human, Boys In Love, Don't copy to another site, M/M, Mutual Pining, New York, Stupid Boys, Summer, Summer Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 09:28:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,016</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25600033</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoMouse/pseuds/JoMouse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles is a Townie and Derek is a Summer Person. </p>
<p>It's the end of another summer and Stiles is moving to New York for college.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Very Sterek Summer 2020 [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1850431</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>107</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>A Very Sterek Summer fest 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Boys of Summer have Gone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Greetings and salutations!</p>
<p>Here we are Day Four of <a href="HTTP://averystereksummer.tumblr.com">A Very Sterek Summer</a> and I'm still holding on (and spoiler alert, tomorrow is already written and Friday is started).  Today's theme is "Summer Songs" and the first song I ever think of when I think of summer is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrvVQm6kKZ4">"The Boys of Summer" by  Don Henley</a> so of course I had to make it Sterek. </p>
<p>I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Title from the song, obviously. ;)</p>
<p>Big thanks to <a href="HTTP://quietzap.tumblr.com">Marie</a> for being the most kick ass beta ever. </p>
<p>xx-Joey</p>
<p>Don't know 'em. Don't own 'em. Don't show 'em.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Stiles tapped his fingers on the counter along to the song playing from the old jukebox in the corner. He hummed along with the classic song thinking of how much it reminds him of his own life and wonders what Don Henley and Michael Campbell were thinking about when they wrote it. Did they have a magic mirror to see forward in his life to the undeniable crush he’d been carrying for far too long? The crush that had been requited that summer and now, as the days got shorter and the nights got colder, it was all coming to an end.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The bells above the door jingled and Stiles turned on his stool, smiling widely as Derek Hale, the love of his life, stood backlit by the fading sun with those damn aviator glasses on, smirking at him and sending warmth zinging through him. He didn’t even hesitate to jump off the stool and cross to him, meeting him halfway with a warm hug and a quick kiss. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hope you weren’t waiting long,” he said and Stiles shook his head; he’d been early so he couldn’t blame the wait on Derek. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They settled on stools next to each other and Erica was dropping sodas in front of them before they even said a word; they were regulars and never changed their orders. “How was breakfast with your parents?” Stiles asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just another Sunday breakfast,” Derek responded but his lips were curved in a small smile. “We spent most of the time finalizing plans for move-in.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Derek was leaving for college in less than a week which meant his family was packing up and leaving Beacon Hills the next morning. They were summer people and Stiles was a townie. He’d grown up watching people come and go every summer without much concern until the summer he was ten and the Hales started renting a cabin from his father.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ever since then, Derek let him tag along with him and they’d quickly become summer friends. Inseparable as long as the summer lasted and then Stiles spent the next three seasons remembering the time they spent together and wondering if Derek ever did the same thing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Stiles turned sixteen and got the keys to his mom’s Jeep, he’d started driving them everywhere since Derek’s parents never brought an extra car for the kids. They started taking their adventures further out of town and a few times it was just Stiles and Derek, not the rest of their mixed group of friends, and Stiles liked to pretend they were dating. He thought it was something that he never thought was possible until the first weekend that summer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Derek had arrived in town earlier than his family, taking the bus into town to get the cabin ready because his father had a business trip and the rest wouldn’t be able to join him for at least a week. Stiles had picked him up at the train station, glad they’d exchanged numbers at the end of the previous summer, finally managing to keep in touch during the off-season. He’d started teasing him right away that he just couldn’t get enough of the place, frowning when Derek didn’t tease back like he normally did.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was when Derek told him that he wanted to get to the cabin as early as he could because he’d have to leave two weeks earlier than normal to move up to school in New York and he didn’t want to lose even more time with Stiles. He’d fought to come up with something to say back, hands gripping the steering wheel hard when Derek had grabbed his chin and turned his face towards his, mashing their lips together in the messiest, best kiss Stiles had ever experienced.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was all it took for Stiles to confess the feelings he’d been harboring for years and smacking Derek when he’d admitted to having felt the same. They’d argued for almost an hour about how much time they’d missed out on before they realized they were just missing out on more by arguing. If it was possible, they’d become even more inseparable after that night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>John, Stiles’ dad, was happy for the two of them but had sat Stiles down to remind him, once again, that sometimes it was dangerous to get involved with one of the summer people. “They come and go with the sun,” he told him. “I just don’t want you to get your heart broken.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stiles was a big fan of ignoring a problem until it went away and this was no different, even if a small part of him know that the problem going away meant Derek going away. He would never expect Derek to give up his future for a townie or anyone else, but sometimes late at night it was nice to dream this summer would last forever.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now, it was the last day they had together and Stiles planned to spend every single second with Derek until he got into his dad’s SUV to leave Beacon Hills, to leave Stiles behind because Derek had already told him he wasn’t sure he’d be able to come home from New York the following summer but Stiles filed that away as a later-Stiles’ problem.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After lunch, they jump in Stiles’ Jeep and drive out to the lake, the wind blowing through Derek’s hair, his sun-kissed skin shining as his aviators reflect the light. He’s thrown his head back, laughing and Stiles wishes he could capture and hold the moment forever. When they get to the lake, they load John’s boat up with blankets and food, planning to spend the night on the water where they can be completely alone and undisturbed by well-meaning friends and family.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d held back three words all summer and finally whispered them in the dark of night while wrapped around Derek, his chest rising and falling with sleep despite swearing they’d stay awake all night. Stiles wasn’t surprised, Derek always fell asleep after sex and he admitted he was sad but he wouldn’t have traded sharing one last night for anything and as he whispered the words into Derek’s skin, he swore the corners of his lips twitched up and then down but his breathing never changed. Stiles fell asleep watching his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They woke to the alarm on Derek’s phone and Stiles was tempted to throw it in the lake but took the mature route and woke Derek up with a kiss. As Derek cleaned up, Stiles aimed the boat toward shore and drove back as slowly as he could and still be considered moving. He saw Derek open his mouth to comment but he snapped it shut and frowned down at the blankets in his hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they reached the dock and moored off the boat, Derek pulled him into a hug. “I want to give you a proper goodbye now when my family isn’t watching,” he whispered into Stiles’ ear and he had to blink back tears before looking up at him and pressing their lips together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They’d already agreed to keep in touch but not put any restrictions on each other. It was Stiles’ senior year and Derek’s first year away at school and neither wanted the other to miss out on any experiences because they were separated. Stiles didn’t have the heart to tell Derek that he had no desire to do any of the typical senior things if Derek wasn’t by his side because he didn’t want to make the frown on Derek’s face go any deeper.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Time seemed to speed up as they drove to the cabin, Derek’s family already waiting, the SUV fully loaded except for Derek’s duffle. Stiles climbed out of the Jeep while Derek put the duffle away to say goodbye to his family; Stiles was nearly as fond of the rest of the Hales as he was of Derek but he’d never admit it because that was just asking for trouble when it came to his sisters who were merciless with their teasing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One last hug and a brief, dry kiss were all that was left before the dust from the Hale SUV was causing Stiles to cough as he waved a hand over his head until the taillights faded away. He didn’t know how long he stood there when his phone buzzed and pulling it out to see a text from Derek. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Miss you.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stiles rubbed a hand over his chest and turned back to his Jeep, getting ready for the fall blues to kick in early. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The year passed much like previous years, Stiles would find himself driving past the cabin even though he knew Derek wasn’t there. He’d take the boat out onto the water, racing it as fast as he could over the emptiness and trying to outrun his loneliness. He’d do the same with the Jeep through town, the entire place completely dead once the summer people were gone. He’d had to stop racing the Jeep when his father had pulled him over and wouldn’t let him get out of the ticket, even going so far as to say he’d lock him up if he didn’t change his ways.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Every day he’d look down at his phone, eyes tracing Derek’s last text and the several he’d sent in response until he’d given up. It became clear quickly that summer ended any feelings for him Derek had. He just wished it worked the same way for him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Graduation day came and went. Summer started, the summer people coming to town and Stiles drove past the cabin even though his father had already told him that they’d contacted him and weren’t coming that summer; so even his last contact with Derek was gone. Stiles rubbed his hand over his chest as he went into the dinner, Erica giving him a sad smile as she set his usual in front of him, leaning across the counter and pressing a kiss to his cheek.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He loved Erica, she never pushed him to talk, just understood. Of course, Erica had been in love with a summer person for as long as Stiles could remember, the difference was that her summer person, Boyd, had moved to Beacon Hills after graduation and gotten a job at the Sheriff’s station. After two years, he was already considered a transplant townie.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“All ready to go to the big city?” she asked, sliding an envelope over to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s this?” he asked as he picked it up and opened it to reveal a graduation card. Opening it up, a piece of paper fell out. Picking it up, his eyes widened when he discovered a ticket to see </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hamilton</span>
  </em>
  <span> on Broadway. “Erica…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s from your friends here,” Erica told him. “We all worked really hard to save up so you could finally see it. Just sorry you will have to see it alone. We got you matinee so you wouldn’t have to wander the city alone at night.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stiles leaned across the counter and threw his arms around her, hugging her close. “You are the greatest person ever! I love you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We all love you too, kid. We’re gonna miss you when you leave here and become a summer person,” she teased.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Never. Townie for life,” he promised and he fully intended to keep his word. Once he graduated with a business degree, he was coming back to Beacon Hills to work for the tourism bureau. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the summer passed without much fuss; Stiles spending as much time with his family and friends as he could. His graduation party was combined with a going-away party and he spent most of the night with tears in his eyes as people he swore thought he was the world’s biggest pain in the ass told tales of how proud of him they were and how much they were going to miss him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In a blink of an eye, Stiles was in New York City. He’d moved into his dorm and met his roommate, a puppy of a guy named Isaac Lahey who infuriated as much as enamored him. He wished he had a ticket for him to join him at </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hamilton</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but he just had the one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Whenever he walked through the city, his mind turned to Derek. He tried to imagine him there but found it difficult even though he’d grown up in Chicago and told Stiles stories about it all the time. He was feeling claustrophobic when he reached Times Square, the crush of people and the vehicles passing by, horns honking and exhaust following. He shuddered and his gaze was caught by a black Camaro that drove past him, or rather by the sticker in the back window.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a rainbow sticker of the Grateful Dead Bears in a line. He felt a catch in his throat as he thought of Derek; he’d bought him one of the same stickers their last summer together when they’d gone to a summer concert festival. He’d thought it was silly but Derek had loved it. The odds of that being the sticker he’d given Derek was infinitesimal but it got his mind stuck in a loop of memories.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He reached the theatre with half an hour to spare. He debated going inside or grabbing a hot dog from the vendor set up not far down the sidewalk. His stomach growled and won the argument for him. He reached into his pocket and took out the money he needed, trading it for a dog with the works.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Turning back to the theatre, he raised the dog to take a bite, freezing as he saw someone heading his way through the crowd. Shaking his head, he blinked his eyes a few times to clear his vision because he could swear he knew that black hair, that tanned skin, and those aviators. As the person turned to smile at the people he passed, those cute little bunny teeth were what convinced him he was definitely hallucinating.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was still gaping, hot dog forgotten when Derek came to a stop right in front of him. He removed his sunglasses and hooked the arm into the neck of his shirt, turning that smile Stiles had never forgotten on him. “Hey,” he said, teeth digging into his lower lip.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m dreaming,” Stiles said and Derek chuckled, reaching out to pinch him. “Ouch.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not dreaming. Erica gave you the ticket? She threatened not to.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, that was from you? Why?” Stiles could feel his emotions going to battle inside his head and he didn’t know if he wanted to laugh, cry or scream.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I told you I missed you,” Derek said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A YEAR AGO!” Stiles shouted, the hot dog finally dropping from his hand and he cursed as he squatted down to pick it up and dump it in the trashcan next to them. “Then nothing. Not one word for a year!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Derek frowned. “I told you I wanted you to have a normal senior year,” he said. “I wanted you to do all the senior year stuff, the football games, and the dances and the parties.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“All of which I didn’t do because I was too busy missing you!” Stiles told him and Derek sighed. “I want to hate you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t blame you,” Derek told him, his hand reaching out but then dropping to his side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stiles grabbed for the hand and held it between them, squeezing gently. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to, but I don’t. I never could. I love you. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember.” Derek’s lips twitched up and then down, tugging at a memory. “You heard me on the boat.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I did, but I couldn’t say it back. I couldn’t tie you down like that,” he said, rubbing a hand over his chest in a movement so similar to one Stiles did so often that he mirrored it without thinking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was already tied down,” Stiles told him and then they both started to laugh as the crowd around them began moving with determination and Stiles realized that the show was going to be starting soon. “I have to go.” He held up the ticket.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Me, too,” Derek said, holding up his own ticket. “Mind if I’m sitting next to you?” Stiles shook his head and dragged Derek into the theatre, both of them grinning so wide their cheeks were burning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After the show was over, Derek offered to take Stiles out to dinner and then drive him back to the dorm. “I’m parked around the corner.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stiles agreed and when they reached Derek’s car, he started laughing again, eyes falling on the very car that had gotten him thinking of Derek earlier. He ran his fingers over the sticker on the back window and when they climbed inside, there was a piece of beach glass hanging from the rearview mirror that they had found on the beach one day. Looking into the backseat, Stiles spotted the red hoodie that he’d thought was lost.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Derek followed his gaze and the tips of his ears turned pink. “I stole it off the boat that morning. I didn’t think you would miss it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Stiles punched him in the shoulder. “It was my favorite hoodie! Of course, I missed it.” Derek reached back and handed it to him, but Stiles pushed it back at him. “Not as much as I missed you.” Before he could think better of it, he leaned across the console and pressed his lips to Derek’s, relieved when he cupped a hand around the nape of his neck and kissed him back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, dinner?” Derek asked as he turned the key and the radio blared to life and Stiles had to wonder again if there was some kind of magic in the song when it filled the car.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>But I can see you. Your brown skin shining in the sun. You got your hair combed back and your </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>sunglasses on, baby. I can tell you my love for you will still be strong after the boys of summer have gone.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Come say 'hi' on tumblr. I'm 'josjournal' over there.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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